Song of Freedom (1995) [N/A]
Featuring:
Mahmudur Rahman Benu, Shaheen Samad, Ziauddin Tariq Ali
Written by:
Tareque Masud
Directed by:
Catherine Masud, Tareque Masud
Release Date:
December 1, 1995
Original Title:
Muktir Gaan
Genres:
Documentary | War
Production Companies:
Audiovision
Production Countries:
Bangladesh
Ratings / Certifications:
N/A
Runtime: 75
This historic film, completed in 1995 by filmmaking duo Tareque Masud and Catherine Masud tells the true story of a troupe of singers traveling through the refugee camps and zones of war during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The film blends documentary and fictional genres in a musical structure to tell the story of the birth of a nation and the ideals of secularism and tolerance on which it was founded. The filmmakers combined footage of the cultural troupe and their activities, shot by American filmmaker Lear Levin in 1971, with historic footage collected from archives around the world, to create “Muktir Gaan” (Song of Freedom).
During the Liberation War of Bangladsh in 1971, a cultural troupe, named 'Bangladesh Mukti Shangrami Shilpi Shangstha' ('Association of Liberation Fighters (Artists) of Bagladesh') used to travel to refugee camps and different places in liberated areas (also known as 'Mukta Anchal'). They performed patriotic songs, arranged puppet shows and staged dramas to inspire the freedom fighters and lift the spirit of war affected people. Muktir Gaan (1995), 25 years in the making, Tareque Masud and Catherine Masud used original footage shot by American film-maker Lear Levin, as well as other archival footage collected from United Kingdom and India.
